Resin multilayer substrate and an electronic device and a joint structure of a resin multilayer substrate

ABSTRACT

A resin multilayer substrate includes a substrate main body including first, second, and third wiring portions connected to one another by a connecting portion. First, second and third external connection terminals are respectively included in the first, second and third wiring portions. The first external connection terminal includes a conductor exposed at a surface of the substrate main body. The second and third external connection terminals include connectors mounted on conductors on the surface of the substrate main body. An auxiliary mounting conductor is disposed between the first external connection terminal and the second and third external connection terminals on the surface of the substrate main body.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority to Japanese PatentApplication No. 2016-008379 filed on Jan. 20, 2016 and is a ContinuationApplication of PCT Application No. PCT/JP2016/086334 filed on Dec. 7,2016. The entire contents of each application are hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a resin multilayer substrate in which aplurality of signal conductors are provided and an electronic device inwhich the resin multilayer substrate is mounted on a circuit board.

2. Description of the Related Art

International Publication No. 2013/103130 discloses a resin multilayersubstrate that includes a plurality of signal conductors. First signalconductors and second signal conductors are provided in the resinmultilayer substrate described in International Publication No.2013/103130.

Ends of the first signal conductors and ends of the second signalconductors are connected to connectors that are mounted on a surface ofthe resin multilayer substrate. These connectors are external connectionterminals of the resin multilayer substrate. Thus, the resin multilayersubstrate is electrically and physically connected to an externalcircuit board by joining these connectors to connectors of the circuitboard.

However, in the configuration described in International Publication No.2013/103130, it is not easy to connect the connectors of the resinmultilayer substrate to the corresponding connectors of the circuitboard without applying an undesirable force to all of the connectors atthe same time.

For example, when there are a plurality of connectors, the connectorsare generally connected one by one. In order to bring one of theconnectors that has not yet been connected close to the position of aconnector of a circuit board, a force may sometimes be applied to theresin multilayer substrate (the resin multilayer substrate may sometimesbe pulled). In this case, there is a possibility that a force will beapplied to a portion of another one of the connectors that has alreadybeen connected to another connector of the circuit board, and as aresult, the connector will be detached from the connector of the circuitboard.

As described above, if all of the external connection terminals areconnectors, one of the connectors may sometimes become detacheddepending on the manner in which a force is applied when connecting theconnectors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide resin multilayersubstrates each capable of being easily connected to an external circuitboard and having a high connection reliability.

A resin multilayer substrate according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention includes a substrate main body, a first signalconductor, a second signal conductor, a first external connectionterminal, a second external connection terminal, and a third externalconnection terminal. The substrate main body includes a first wiringportion, a second wiring portion, and a third wiring portion that areconnected to one another by a connecting portion, and a plurality ofresin layers laminated together. The first signal conductor is providedin the substrate main body so as to extend over the first wiring portionand the second wiring portion. The second signal conductor is providedin the substrate main body so as to extend over the first wiring portionand the third wiring portion. The first external connection terminal isprovided in the first wiring portion and connected to at least one ofthe first signal conductor and the second signal conductor. The secondexternal connection terminal is provided in the second wiring portionand connected to the first signal conductor. The third externalconnection terminal is provided in the third wiring portion andconnected to the second signal conductor. At least one of the firstexternal connection terminal, the second external connection terminal,and the third external connection terminal is defined by a connectorthat is mounted on a conductor on a surface of the substrate main body,and at least another one of the first external connection terminal, thesecond external connection terminal, and the third external connectionterminal is defined by a conductor that is on the surface of thesubstrate main body. An auxiliary mounting conductor is disposed betweenthe external connection terminal defined by the connector mounted on thesurface and the external connection terminal defined by the conductor onthe surface.

In this configuration, at least one of a plurality of externalconnection terminals is connected to an external circuit board by aconnector, and at least another one of the plurality of externalconnection terminals directly connects a conductor to the externalcircuit board. In addition, together with a connection terminal definedby a conductor, an auxiliary mounting conductor is directly joined tothe external circuit board. This facilitates an operation to mount theresin multilayer substrate onto an external circuit board, and thereliability of mounting (connection of terminals) is improved.

A resin multilayer substrate according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention includes a resin multilayer substrate including asubstrate main body, a first signal conductor, a second signalconductor, a first external connection terminal, a second externalconnection terminal, and a third external connection terminal. Thesubstrate main body includes a first wiring portion, a second wiringportion, and a third wiring portion that are connected to one another bya connecting portion and includes a plurality of resin layers laminatedtogether. The first signal conductor is provided in the substrate mainbody so as to extend over the first wiring portion and the second wiringportion. The second signal conductor is provided in the substrate mainbody so as to extend over the first wiring portion and the third wiringportion. The first external connection terminal is provided in the firstwiring portion and connected to at least one of the first signalconductor and the second signal conductor. The second externalconnection terminal is provided in the second wiring portion andconnected to the first signal conductor. The third external connectionterminal is provided in the third wiring portion and connected to thesecond signal conductor. In the first wiring portion, the first signalconductor and the second signal conductor are disposed in a row in adirection in which the plurality of resin layers are laminated together.The first external connection terminal is defined by a connector that ismounted on a conductor on a surface of the substrate main body. At leastone of the second external connection terminal and the third externalconnection terminal is defined by a conductor on the surface of thesubstrate main body.

This configuration facilitates a mounting operation, and the distancebetween one of the first signal conductor and the second signalconductor that is closer to a mounting surface than the other is and themounting surface is able to be increased while obtaining connectionreliability.

A resin multilayer substrate according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention includes a resin multilayer substrate including asubstrate main body, a first signal conductor, a second signalconductor, a first external connection terminal, a second externalconnection terminal, and a third external connection terminal. Thesubstrate main body includes a first wiring portion, a second wiringportion, and a third wiring portion that are connected to one another bya connecting portion, and a plurality of resin layers laminatedtogether. The first signal conductor is provided in the substrate mainbody so as to extend over the first wiring portion and the second wiringportion. The second signal conductor is provided in the substrate mainbody so as to extend over the first wiring portion and the third wiringportion. The first external connection terminal is provided in the firstwiring portion and connected to at least one of the first signalconductor and the second signal conductor. The second externalconnection terminal is provided in the second wiring portion andconnected to the first signal conductor. The third external connectionterminal is provided in the third wiring portion and connected to thesecond signal conductor. In the first wiring portion, the first signalconductor and the second signal conductor are disposed in a row in adirection in which the plurality of resin layers are laminated together.The first wiring portion includes a buffering portion that is positionedbetween a position of the first external connection terminal and an endportion of the first wiring portion that is continuous with theconnecting portion and that has low elasticity in a direction connectingthe position of the first external connection terminal and the endportion of the first wiring portion that is continuous with theconnecting portion.

With this configuration, the degree of freedom regarding the shape ofthe first wiring portion is increased by the buffering portion. Thisfacilitates the mounting operation.

In a resin multilayer substrate according to a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, it is preferable that the auxiliary mountingconductor is a ground conductor.

With this configuration, the ground conductor is able to be easily anddirectly connected to an external ground conductor. As a result, aground is able to further easily be stabilized.

In a resin multilayer substrate according to a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, in the first wiring portion, the first signalconductor and the second signal conductor are disposed in a row in adirection in which the plurality of resin layers are laminated together.

With this configuration, the width of the first wiring portion isreduced so as to be equal or substantially equal to the width of thesecond wiring portion and the width of the third wiring portion.

In a resin multilayer substrate according to a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, it is preferable that the first externalconnection terminal includes a connector that is mounted on a conductoron the surface of the substrate main body and that at least one of thesecond external connection terminal and the third external connectionterminal is defined by a conductor on the surface of the substrate mainbody.

With this configuration, the distance between one of the first signalconductor and the second signal conductor that is closer to the mountingsurface than the other is and the mounting surface is able to beincreased.

In a resin multilayer substrate according to a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, it is preferable that the first wiring portioninclude a buffering portion that is positioned between a position of thefirst external connection terminal and an end portion of the firstwiring portion that is continuous with the connecting portion and thathas low elasticity in a direction connecting the position of the firstexternal connection terminal and the end portion of the first wiringportion that is continuous with the connecting portion.

With this configuration, the degree of freedom regarding the shape ofthe first wiring portion is increased by the buffering portion. Thisfurther facilitates the mounting operation and further improves thereliability.

In a resin multilayer substrate according to a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, it is preferable that the resin layers are eachmade of a thermoplastic resin.

With this configuration, the substrate main body is able to be easilyformed by hot pressing, and the joint reliability between the resinlayers is improved. In addition, the resin multilayer substrate is ableto be easily bent in the lamination direction of the resin layers.

In a resin multilayer substrate according to a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, the substrate main body may include a bentportion at a position different from positions of the first externalconnection terminal, the second external connection terminal, and thethird external connection terminal.

With this configuration, the variety of mounting structures andarrangements of the resin multilayer substrate onto a circuit board isincreased.

An electronic device according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention includes one of the above-described resin multilayersubstrates and a circuit board to which the first external connectionterminal, the second external connection terminal, and the thirdexternal connection terminal are connected.

With this configuration, an electronic device in which a resinmultilayer substrate is capable of being easily connected to an externalcircuit board and that has a high connection reliability is provided.

In an electronic device according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, the circuit board may include a first circuit boardto which the first external connection terminal is connected and asecond circuit board to which the second external connection terminal orthe third external connection terminal is connected.

With this configuration, the circuit board to which the first externalconnection terminal is connected and the circuit board to which thesecond external connection terminal or the third external connectionterminal is connected are different from each other. In the case inwhich a resin multilayer substrate is connected to a plurality ofcircuit boards as described above, by providing a resin multilayersubstrate having the above-described configuration, the resin multilayersubstrate is able to be further easily connected to the circuit board.

An electronic device according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention includes the above-described resin multilayer substrate inwhich the first signal conductor and the second signal conductor aredisposed in a lamination direction in the first wiring portion and acircuit board to which the first external connection terminal, thesecond external connection terminal, and the third external connectionterminal are connected. The circuit board includes a circuit conductorthat faces the first signal conductor and the second signal conductor.

With this configuration, the distance between one of the first signalconductor and the second signal conductor that is closer to a mountingsurface than the other is and the mounting surface is able to beincreased, and coupling of these signal conductors is able to be reducedor prevented.

According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, resinmultilayer substrates capable of being easily connected to externalcircuit boards and having high connection reliability are able to beprovided.

The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics andadvantages of the present invention will become more apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments withreference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a resin multilayer substrateaccording to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the resin multilayer substrateaccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of an electronic device accordingto the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an electronic device accordingto the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an external perspective view illustrating an electronic deviceaccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view schematically illustrating bending that isperformed on a resin multilayer substrate according to the firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an external perspective view illustrating an electronic deviceaccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of a resin multilayer substrateaccording to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are cross-sectional side views each schematicallyillustrating a connection structure between the resin multilayersubstrate according to the second preferred embodiment of the presentinvention and a circuit board.

FIG. 10 is an external perspective view of a resin multilayer substrateaccording to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an electronic circuit that includes aresin multilayer substrate according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Resin multilayer substrates and an electronic device according to afirst preferred embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective viewof the resin multilayer substrate according to the first preferredembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspectiveview of the resin multilayer substrate according to the first preferredembodiment of the present invention. Note that an insulating protectivefilm and connectors are not illustrated in FIG. 2.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a resin multilayer substrate 10 includes asubstrate main body 100, an insulating protective film 801, andconnectors 81 and 82. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the substrate main body100 includes resin layers 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105. The resin layers101, 102, 103, 104, and 105 are each preferably made of a thermoplasticresin which is, for example, a resin containing a liquid crystal polymeras a main component. The resin layers 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105preferably have the same or substantially the same planar shape. Thethickness of each of the resin layers 101, 102, 103, and 104 may be setin accordance with, for example, the impedance of a signal line, and inthe case illustrated in FIG. 1, it is preferable that all of the resinlayers have the same or approximately the same thickness.

The resin layers 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105 are stacked in this order(in the order of the resin layer 101, the resin layer 102, the resinlayer 103, the resin layer 104, and the resin layer 105) from the sideon which a mounting surface of the substrate main body 100 is provided.Hot pressing is performed on the resin layers 101, 102, 103, 104, and105, which have been stacked on top of one another, so that thesubstrate main body 100 is formed. By using a thermoplastic resin forthe resin layers 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105 as described above, thesubstrate main body 100 is able to be easily formed, and since amaterial different from the resin layers is not provided between theresin layers, the reliability is improved.

The resin layer 101 includes a first wiring portion 111, a second wiringportion 112, a third wiring portion 113, and a connecting portion 110.The first wiring portion 111, the second wiring portion 112, and thethird wiring portion 113 are connected to one another by the connectingportion 110.

The resin layer 102 includes a first wiring portion 121, a second wiringportion 122, a third wiring portion 123, and a connecting portion 120.The first wiring portion 121, the second wiring portion 122, and thethird wiring portion 123 are connected to one another by the connectingportion 120.

The resin layer 103 includes a first wiring portion 131, a second wiringportion 132, a third wiring portion 133, and a connecting portion 130.The first wiring portion 131, the second wiring portion 132, and thethird wiring portion 133 are connected to one another by the connectingportion 130.

The resin layer 104 includes a first wiring portion 141, a second wiringportion 142, a third wiring portion 143, and a connecting portion 140.The first wiring portion 141, the second wiring portion 142, and thethird wiring portion 143 are connected to one another by the connectingportion 140.

The resin layer 105 includes a first wiring portion 151, a second wiringportion 152, a third wiring portion 153, and a connecting portion 150.The first wiring portion 151, the second wiring portion 152, and thethird wiring portion 153 are connected to one another by the connectingportion 150.

A portion that includes the first wiring portion 111 of the resin layer101, the first wiring portion 121 of the resin layer 102, the firstwiring portion 131 of the resin layer 103, the first wiring portion 141of the resin layer 104, and the first wiring portion 151 of the resinlayer 105 stacked on top of one another defines a first wiring portion1001 (corresponding to “a first wiring portion”) of the substrate mainbody 100 illustrated in FIG. 1.

A portion that includes the second wiring portion 112 of the resin layer101, the second wiring portion 122 of the resin layer 102, the secondwiring portion 132 of the resin layer 103, the second wiring portion 142of the resin layer 104, and the second wiring portion 152 of the resinlayer 105 stacked on top of one another defines a second wiring portion1002 (corresponding to “a second wiring portion”) of the substrate mainbody 100 illustrated in FIG. 1.

A portion that includes the third wiring portion 113 of the resin layer101, the third wiring portion 123 of the resin layer 102, the thirdwiring portion 133 of the resin layer 103, the third wiring portion 143of the resin layer 104, and the third wiring portion 153 of the resinlayer 105 stacked on top of one another defines a third wiring portion1003 (corresponding to “a third wiring portion”) of the substrate mainbody 100 illustrated in FIG. 1.

A portion that includes the connecting portion 110 of the resin layer101, the connecting portion 120 of the resin layer 102, the connectingportion 130 of the resin layer 103, the connecting portion 140 of theresin layer 104, and the connecting portion 150 of the resin layer 105stacked on top of one another defines a connecting portion 1000(corresponding to “a connecting portion”) of the substrate main body 100illustrated in FIG. 1.

As described above, the substrate main body 100 includes the firstwiring portion 1001, the second wiring portion 1002, the third wiringportion 1003, and the connecting portion 1000. The first wiring portion1001, the second wiring portion 1002, and the third wiring portion 1003are connected to one another by the connecting portion 1000, and theseportions are integrally provided.

Conductors each of which is provided in or on the substrate main body100 will now be described.

Conductors 401, 511, 512, 513, 514, 611, 612, 711, and 712 are disposedon a surface of the resin layer 101. The conductors 511, 512, 513, 514,611, 612, 711, and 712 each preferably have a rectangular orsubstantially rectangular shape, for example, when viewed in plan view,and the length of one side of each of the conductors 511, 512, 513, 514,611, 612, 711, and 712 is preferably shorter than the width of each ofthe first wiring portion 111, the second wiring portion 112, and thethird wiring portion 113.

The conductors 511, 512, 513, and 514 are spaced apart from one anotheron the side on which an end of the first wiring portion 111 that isfarthest from the connecting portion 110 is disposed. These conductorsare arranged in the order of the conductor 514, the conductor 513, theconductor 512, and the conductor 511 from the end of the first wiringportion 111, which is farthest from the connecting portion 110.

The conductors 611 and 612 are spaced apart from each other on the sideon which an end of the second wiring portion 112 that is farthest fromthe connecting portion 110 is disposed. These conductors are arranged inthe order of the conductor 612 and the conductor 611 from the end of thesecond wiring portion 112, which is farthest from the connecting portion110.

The conductors 711 and 712 are spaced apart from each other on the sideon which an end of the third wiring portion 113 that is farthest fromthe connecting portion 110 is disposed. These conductors are arranged inthe order of the conductor 712 and the conductor 711 from the end of thethird wiring portion 113, which is farthest from the connecting portion110.

The conductor 401 extends over the connecting portion 110, the firstwiring portion 111, the second wiring portion 112, and the third wiringportion 113. The conductor 401 is disposed over the entire orsubstantially the entire surface of the connecting portion 110. An endportion of the conductor 401 on the first wiring portion 111 is spacedapart from the conductor 511. An end portion of the conductor 401 on thesecond wiring portion 112 is spaced apart from the conductor 611. An endportion of the conductor 401 on the third wiring portion 113 is spacedapart from the conductor 711. The conductor 401 is disposed across theentire or substantially the entire width of each of the first wiringportion 111, the second wiring portion 112, and the third wiring portion113.

A signal conductor 201 and conductors 522, 523, 524, 621, 622, 721, and722 are disposed on a surface of the resin layer 102. The conductors522, 523, 524, 621, 622, 721, and 722 each preferably have a rectangularor substantially rectangular shape, for example, when viewed in planview, and the length of one side of each of the conductors 522, 523,524, 621, 622, 721, and 722 is preferably shorter than the width of eachof the first wiring portion 121, the second wiring portion 122, and thethird wiring portion 123.

The conductors 522, 523, and 524 are spaced apart from one another onthe side on which an end of the first wiring portion 121 that isfarthest from the connecting portion 120 is disposed. These conductorsare arranged in the order of the conductor 524, the conductor 523, andthe conductor 522 from the end of the first wiring portion 121, which isfarthest from the connecting portion 120. When viewed in plan view, theconductor 522 and the conductor 512 overlap each other, the conductor523 and the conductor 513 overlap each other, and the conductor 524 andthe conductor 514 overlap each other.

The conductors 621 and 622 are spaced apart from each other on the sideon which an end of the second wiring portion 122 that is farthest fromthe connecting portion 120 is disposed. These conductors are arranged inthe order of the conductor 622 and the conductor 621 from the end of thesecond wiring portion 122, which is farthest from the connecting portion120. When viewed in plan view, the conductor 621 and the conductor 611overlap each other, and the conductor 622 and the conductor 612 overlapeach other.

The conductors 721 and 722 are spaced apart from each other on the sideon which an end of the third wiring portion 123 that is farthest fromthe connecting portion 120 is disposed. These conductors are arranged inthe order of the conductor 722 and the conductor 721 from the end of thethird wiring portion 123, which is farthest from the connecting portion120. When viewed in plan view, the conductor 721 and the conductor 711overlap each other, and the conductor 722 and the conductor 712 overlapeach other.

The signal conductor 201 is preferably a linear conductor having apredetermined width and extends over the first wiring portion 121 andthe connecting portion 120. A portion of the signal conductor 201 on theconnecting portion 120 is bent towards the second wiring portion 122. Afirst end portion of the signal conductor 201 in the extending directionof the signal conductor 201 is spaced apart from the conductor 522 by apredetermined distance. The first end portion of the signal conductor201 in the extending direction and the conductor 511 overlap each otherwhen viewed in plan view. The first end portion of the signal conductor201 in the extending direction is connected to the conductor 511 by aninterlayer connection conductor. A second end portion of the signalconductor 201 in the extending direction is located close to a portionof the connecting portion 120 that is continuous with the second wiringportion 122.

Signal conductors 202 and 302 and conductors 402, 533, 534, 632, and 732are disposed on a surface of the resin layer 103. The conductors 533,534, 632, and 732 each preferably have a rectangular or substantiallyrectangular shape, for example, when viewed in plan view, and the lengthof one side of each of the conductors 533, 534, 632, and 732 ispreferably shorter than the width of each of the first wiring portion131, the second wiring portion 132, and the third wiring portion 133.

The conductors 533 and 534 are spaced apart from each other on the sideon which an end of the first wiring portion 131 that is farthest fromthe connecting portion 130 is disposed. These conductors are arranged inthe order of the conductor 534 and the conductor 533 from the end of thefirst wiring portion 131, which is farthest from the connecting portion130. When viewed in plan view, the conductor 533 overlaps the conductors513 and 523, and the conductor 534 overlaps the conductors 514 and 524.

The conductor 632 is disposed on an end portion of the second wiringportion 132 that is farthest from the connecting portion 130 isdisposed. When viewed in plan view, the conductor 632 overlaps theconductors 612 and 622.

The conductor 402 extends over the first wiring portion 131 and theconnecting portion 130. The conductor 402 extends across the entire orsubstantially the entire width of the first wiring portion 131 andextends over the entire or substantially the entire surface of theconnecting portion 130 excluding a portion of the connecting portion 130that is continuous with the second wiring portion 132 and a portion ofthe connecting portion 130 that is continuous with the third wiringportion 133.

The signal conductor 202 is preferably a linear conductor having apredetermined width and extends over the connecting portion 130 and thesecond wiring portion 132. A first end portion of the signal conductor202 that is located on the side on which the connecting portion 130 isdisposed is adjacent to the conductor 402. The first end portion of thesignal conductor 202, which is located on the side on which theconnecting portion 130 is disposed, overlaps the second end portion ofthe signal conductor 201 when viewed in plan view. The first end portionof the signal conductor 202, which is located on the side on which theconnecting portion 130 is disposed, and the second end portion of thesignal conductor 201 are connected to each other by an interlayerconnection conductor. The signal conductors 201 and 202 define a firstsignal conductor. A second end portion of the signal conductor 202 thatis located on the side on which the second wiring portion 132 isdisposed is adjacent to the conductor 632. The second end portion of thesignal conductor 202, which is located on the side on which the secondwiring portion 132 is disposed, overlaps the conductors 611 and 621 whenviewed in plan view. The second end portion of the signal conductor 202,which is located on the side on which the second wiring portion 132 isdisposed, and the conductors 611 and 621 are connected to one another byan interlayer connection conductor.

The signal conductor 302 is preferably a linear conductor having apredetermined width and extends over the connecting portion 130 and thethird wiring portion 133. A first end portion of the signal conductor302 that is located on the side on which the connecting portion 130 isdisposed is adjacent to the conductor 402. The first end portion of thesignal conductor 302, which is located on the side on which theconnecting portion 130 is disposed, overlaps a second end portion of asignal conductor 301 (described later) when viewed in plan view. Thefirst end portion of the signal conductor 302, which is located on theside on which the connecting portion 130 is disposed, and the second endportion of the signal conductor 301 are connected to each other by aninterlayer connection conductor. The signal conductors 301 and 302define a second signal conductor. A second end portion of the signalconductor 302 that is located on the side on which the third wiringportion 133 is disposed is adjacent to the conductor 732. The second endportion of the signal conductor 302, which is located on the side onwhich the third wiring portion 133 is disposed, overlaps the conductors711 and 721 when viewed in plan view. The second end of the signalconductor 302, which is located on the side on which the third wiringportion 133 is disposed, and the conductors 711 and 721 are connected toone another by an interlayer connection conductor.

The signal conductor 301 and conductors 544, 642, and 742 are disposedon a surface of the resin layer 104. The conductors 544, 642, and 742each preferably have a rectangular or substantially rectangular shape,for example, when viewed in plan view, and the length of one side ofeach of the conductors 544, 642, and 742 is preferably shorter than thewidth of each of the first wiring portion 141, the second wiring portion142, and the third wiring portion 143.

The conductor 544 is disposed on an end portion of the first wiringportion 141 that is farthest from the connecting portion 140. Theconductor 544 overlaps the conductors 514, 524, and 534 when viewed inplan view.

The conductor 642 is disposed on an end portion of the second wiringportion 142 that is farthest from the connecting portion 140. Theconductor 642 overlaps the conductors 612, 622, and 632 when viewed inplan view.

The conductor 742 is disposed on an end portion of the third wiringportion 143 that is farthest from the connecting portion 140. Theconductor 742 overlaps the conductors 712, 722, and 732 when viewed inplan view.

The signal conductor 301 is preferably a linear conductor having apredetermined width and is extended over the first wiring portion 141and the connecting portion 140. A portion of the signal conductor 301 onthe connecting portion 140 is bent towards the third wiring portion 143.A first end portion of the signal conductor 301 in the extendingdirection of the signal conductor 301 is spaced apart from the conductor544 by a predetermined distance. The first end portion of the signalconductor 301 in the extending direction overlaps the conductors 513,523, and 533 when viewed in plan view. The first end portion of thesignal conductor 301 in the extending direction and the conductors 513,523, and 533 are connected to one another by an interlayer connectionconductor. A second end portion of the signal conductor 301 in theextending direction is located close to a portion of the connectingportion 140 that is continuous with the third wiring portion 143. Thesecond end portion of the signal conductor 301 in the extendingdirection overlaps the first end portion of the signal conductor 302,which is located on the side on which the connecting portion 130 isdisposed, when viewed in plan view. The second end portion of the signalconductor 301 in the extending direction and the first end portion ofthe signal conductor 302, which is located on the side on which theconnecting portion 130 is disposed, are connected to each other by aninterlayer connection conductor.

A conductor 403 is disposed on a surface of the resin layer 105. Theconductor 403 is disposed over the entire or substantially the entiresurface of the resin layer 105. An end portion of the conductor 403 thatis located on the first wiring portion 151 and that is located on theside opposite to the side on which the connecting portion 150 isdisposed is connected to the conductors 514, 524, 534, and 544 by aninterlayer connection conductor. An end portion of the conductor 403that is located on the second wiring portion 152 and that is located onthe side opposite to the side on which the connecting portion 150 isdisposed is connected to the conductors 612, 622, 632, and 642 by aninterlayer connection conductor. An end portion of the conductor 403that is located on the third wiring portion 153 and that is located onthe side opposite to the side on which the connecting portion 150 isdisposed is connected to the conductors 712, 722, 732, and 742 by aninterlayer connection conductor.

In such a configuration, by using the conductors 401, 402, and 403 asground conductors, a first signal line that includes the first signalconductor including the signal conductors 201 and 202 and a secondsignal line that includes the second signal conductor including thesignal conductors 301 and 302, the first signal line and the secondsignal line each having a stripline configuration, are provided in theresin multilayer substrate 10. In this case, in the first wiring portion1001, the signal conductor 201 and the signal conductor 301 are alignedand superposed with each other in a lamination direction in which theplurality of resin layers are laminated together, and thus, a pluralityof signal conductors are able to be provided without increasing thewidth of the first wiring portion 1001. In addition, since the conductor402, which defines and functions as a ground conductor, is disposedbetween the signal conductor 201 and the signal conductor 301, theprobability that the signal conductor 201 and the signal conductor 301will have an electromagnetic field coupling relationship is reduced, andthe isolation between the first signal line and the second signal lineis ensured.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the insulating protective film 801 is disposedon a surface (the mounting surface) of the substrate main body 100,which is configured as described above. The insulating protective film801 preferably includes a plurality of holes. More specifically, theinsulating protective film 801 includes the plurality of holes providedat positions overlapping the conductors 511, 512, 513, 514, 611, 612,711, and 712. Some of the plurality of holes of the insulatingprotective film 801 are provided at positions corresponding to the endportions of the conductor 401, each of which is located close to one ofthe conductors 511, 611, and 711. Some of the plurality of holes of theinsulating protective film 801 are provided at positions overlapping theconnecting portion 1000, a position overlapping a peripheral portion ofan end portion of the first wiring portion 1001 that is continuous withthe connecting portion 1000, and a position overlapping a peripheralportion of a first end portion of the second wiring portion 1002 that iscontinuous with the connecting portion 1000, all the positionsoverlapping the conductor 401.

The connector 81 is disposed on a second end portion of the secondwiring portion 1002 that is opposite to the first end portion of thesecond wiring portion 1002, which is continuous with the connectingportion 1000. A central conductor (not illustrated) of the connector 81is connected to the conductor 611 through one of the holes provided inthe insulating protective film 801. An outer-peripheral conductor (notillustrated) of the connector 81 is connected to the conductor 612 andthe conductor 401 through at least one of the holes provided in theinsulating protective film 801.

The connector 82 is disposed on an end portion of the third wiringportion 1003 that is farthest from the connecting portion 1000. Acentral conductor (not illustrated) of the connector 82 is connected tothe conductor 711 through one of the holes provided in the insulatingprotective film 801. An outer-peripheral conductor (not illustrated) ofthe connector 82 is connected to the conductor 712 and the conductor 401through at least one of the holes provided in the insulating protectivefilm 801.

In such a configuration, a first end portion of the first signalconductor, which includes the signal conductors 201 and 202, correspondsto a first external connection terminal and is defined by a contact padat which the conductor 511 is exposed. A second end portion of the firstsignal conductor corresponds to a second external connection terminaland is defined by the connector 81.

A first end portion of the second signal conductor, which includes thesignal conductors 301 and 302, corresponds to the first externalconnection terminal and is defined by a contact pad at which theconductor 513 is exposed. A second end portion of the second signalconductor corresponds to a third external connection terminal and isdefined by the connector 82.

The conductors 512, 514, 612, and 712 are connected to the conductors402 and 403, which are ground conductors, and thus, the conductors 512,514, 612, and 712 define and function as ground terminals.

Since the conductor 401 is a ground conductor, the conductors 515 and810 that are exposed through the holes provided at the positionsoverlapping the conductor 401 as illustrated in FIG. 1 are groundterminals. In addition, these conductors 515 and 810 also define andfunction as auxiliary mounting conductors. In other words, theconductors that are positioned between the conductor 511 and theconnector 81, which are external connection terminals, in the directionin which the first signal conductor extends (the extending directiondefined by the signal conductors 201 and 202), and that are exposed atthe surface of the substrate main body 100 are auxiliary mountingconductors. Similarly, the conductors that are positioned between theconductor 513 and the connector 82, which are external connectionterminals, in the direction in which the second signal conductor extends(the extending direction defined by the signal conductors 301 and 302),and that are exposed at the surface of the substrate main body 100 areauxiliary mounting conductors.

The resin multilayer substrate 10 having such a configuration is mountedon a circuit board in the following manner, and an electronic device isprovided. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the electronicdevice according to the first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the electronicdevice according to the first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. Note that mounting components are not illustrated in FIG. 4.In addition, the reference characters I and II in FIG. 4 indicate amounting order.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, an electronic device 1 includes theresin multilayer substrate 10 and a circuit board 90. The circuit board90 includes a board 900, a plurality of mounting components 901, andcircuit-board-side connectors 911 and 912. The plurality of mountingcomponents 901 and the circuit-board-side connectors 911 and 912 aremounted on a surface of the board 900. Mounting land conductors 921,922, 923, 924, 925, and 931 are disposed on the surface of the board900.

The conductors 511, 512, 513, 514, and 515 of the resin multilayersubstrate 10 are respectively and directly connected to the mountingland conductors 921, 922, 923, 924, and 925 of the circuit board 90with, for example, solder. The conductors 810 of the resin multilayersubstrate 10 are respectively and directly connected to the mountingland conductors 931 of the circuit board 90 with, for example, solder.

The connectors 81 and 82 of the resin multilayer substrate 10 arerespectively connected to the circuit-board-side connectors 911 and 912of the circuit board 90.

As described above, in the electronic device 1 according to the firstpreferred embodiment, the external connection terminals of the firstwiring portion 1001 of the resin multilayer substrate 10 are directlyconnected to the circuit board 90 with, for example, solder, and theexternal connection terminals of the second and third wiring portions1002 and 1003 are connected to the circuit board 90 via the connectors81 and 82.

The electronic device 1 is manufactured by the following non-limitingexample of a method. First, as indicated by the reference character I inFIG. 4, the external connection terminals of the resin multilayersubstrate 10 are directly connected to the mounting land conductors ofthe circuit board 90 with, for example, solder. As a result, the firstwiring portion 1001 of the resin multilayer substrate 10 is fixed to thecircuit board 90.

Next, as indicated by the reference character II in FIG. 4, theconnectors 81 and 82 of the resin multilayer substrate 10 are mounted onthe circuit-board-side connectors 911 and 912 of the circuit board 90.In this case, since the first wiring portion 1001 of the resinmultilayer substrate 10 is fixed to the circuit board 90, mounting ofthe connectors 81 and 82 is able to be easily performed. In addition,since the first wiring portion 1001 of the resin multilayer substrate 10is not a connector, the first wiring portion 1001 will not becomedetached from the circuit board 90 as a result of performing themounting of the connectors 81 and 82. Therefore, the connectionreliability between the resin multilayer substrate 10 and the circuitboard 90 is improved.

In addition, in the configuration according to the first preferredembodiment, the conductors 515 and 810, which are auxiliary mountingconductors, are disposed between the connectors 81 and 82 and theconductors 511 and 513. These conductors 515 and 810 are connected tothe mounting land conductors 925 and 931 of the circuit board 90together with the conductors 511 and 513 with, for example, solder. As aresult, when the connectors 81 and 82 are mounted on thecircuit-board-side connectors 911 and 912, even if stress is generatedin the resin multilayer substrate 10, the stress being, for example, aforce that pulls the resin multilayer substrate 10 towards theconnectors 81 and 82, the probability that this stress will be appliedto the conductors 511 and 513, which are the external connectionterminals, is reduced by fixing the conductors 515 and 810 on themounting land conductors 925 and 931, and the connection reliability isfurther improved. In particular, by connecting the conductors 515 and810, which are auxiliary mounting conductors, to the mounting landconductors 925 and 931 with, for example, solder before the connectors81 and 82 are mounted onto the circuit-board-side connectors 911 and912, the reliability is further improved. In this case, it is preferablethat the conductors 515 and 810, which are auxiliary mountingconductors, be soldered at the same time as the conductors 511 and 513,which define the external connection terminals, are soldered, and as aresult, a soldering process is simplified.

Note that the process of mounting the mounting components 901 on thecircuit board 90 and the process of connecting (mounting) the resinmultilayer substrate 10 to the circuit board 90 with, for example,solder may be performed at different times or may be performed at thesame time. In the case of performing these processes at the same time,one manufacturing process is able to be omitted, and the process formanufacturing the electronic device 1 is simplified.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 illustrate a configuration in which the resinmultilayer substrate 10 is disposed in a planar manner with respect tothe circuit board 90. However, a configuration illustrated in FIG. 5 mayalso be provided. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view illustratinganother configuration of an electronic device according to the firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, an electronic device 1A includes a resinmultilayer substrate 10A and a circuit board 90A. The basic structure ofthe resin multilayer substrate 10A is the same or substantially the sameas that of the resin multilayer substrate 10, and the resin multilayersubstrate 10A is different from the resin multilayer substrate 10 interms of dimensions. The basic structure of the circuit board 90A is thesame or substantially the same as that of the circuit board 90 with theexception of the arrangement of mounting components 901A and 902A andthe arrangement of circuit-board-side connectors 911A and 912A.

A second wiring portion 1002A of the resin multilayer substrate 10Acovers side surfaces and a top surface of the mounting component 901Aand extends across the top surface, and the connector 81 of the secondwiring portion 1002A is mounted on the circuit-board-side connector911A.

A third wiring portion 1003A of the resin multilayer substrate 10Apartially covers a side surface and a top surface of the mountingcomponent 902A, and the connector 82 of the third wiring portion 1003Ais mounted on the circuit-board-side connector 912A that is disposed onthe top surface of the mounting component 902A.

With this configuration, a first wiring portion 1001A and a connectingportion 1000A are fixed to the circuit board 90A with, for example,solder. Therefore, the resin multilayer substrate 10A is able to beeasily disposed in accordance with the shapes of the mounting components901A and 902A, and the connectors 81 and 82 are able to be easilymounted on the circuit-board-side connectors 911A and 912A.

Note that if there is no auxiliary mounting conductor on the connectingportion 1000A, advantageous effects similar to those described above areobtained as long as the first wiring portion 1001A is fixed to thecircuit board 90A with, for example, solder. However, by also providingauxiliary mounting conductors on the connecting portion 1000A,positioning of the resin multilayer substrate 10A with respect to thecircuit board 90A is able to be even more easily performed.

In addition, as in the configuration according to the first preferredembodiment, by providing the conductors 810, which are auxiliarymounting conductors, on the third wiring portion 1003A, on which theconnector 81 is disposed, and fixing the conductors 810 on the circuitboard 90A with, for example, solder, the probability that stress will beapplied to the connecting portion 1000A and the first wiring portion1001A is reduced, and the reliability is further improved.

Furthermore, by including a plurality of auxiliary mounting conductorsas described above, the positioning effect and the effect of reducingstress, which have been mentioned above, are further improved.

As described above, by providing the configuration according to thefirst preferred embodiment, even if there are irregularities in a regionof the circuit board 90A in which the resin multilayer substrate 10A isdisposed (mounted), the resin multilayer substrate 10A is able to beeasily mounted onto the circuit board 90A.

Note that, in this case, it is preferable to perform bending, forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a side view schematicallyillustrating bending that is performed on a resin multilayer substrateaccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, a portion of the resin multilayer substrate10A, which includes the resin layers each of which is preferably made ofa thermoplastic resin, for example, that is to be a bent portion isclamped between bending dies TD1 and TD2, heated, and then cooled so asto become plastically deformed. As a result, the resin multilayersubstrate 10A is able to have a bent portion corresponding to the shapesof the bending dies TD1 and TD2.

The bent portion may be applied to, for example, portions of the resinmultilayer substrate 10A illustrated in FIG. 5 that are brought intocontact with the mounting components 901A and 902A. As a result, theresin multilayer substrate 10A is able to be even more easily mounted onthe circuit board 90A.

Although each of FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5 illustrates a configurationin which the resin multilayer substrate is mounted on a single circuitboard, the resin multilayer substrate may also be mounted so as toconnect a plurality of circuit boards. FIG. 7 is an external perspectiveview illustrating a configuration of an electronic device according tothe first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

An electronic device 1B includes the resin multilayer substrate 10A anda plurality of circuit boards 91B, 92B, and 93B. The circuit boards 91B,92B, and 93B are independent of one another and are spaced apart fromone another.

The circuit board 91B includes a board 910 on which the mountingcomponents 901 are mounted. External connection terminals defined byconductors that are disposed on the first wiring portion 1001A and theconnecting portion 1000A of the resin multilayer substrate 10A areconnected to the circuit board 91B.

The circuit board 92B includes a board 920 on which one of the mountingcomponents 901 and the circuit-board-side connector 911 are mounted. Theconnector 81 of the second wiring portion 1002A of the resin multilayersubstrate 10A is mounted on the circuit-board-side connector 911 of thecircuit board 92B.

The circuit board 93B includes a board 930 on which one of the mountingcomponents 901 and a mounting component 902A are mounted. Thecircuit-board-side connector 912A is mounted on a top surface of themounting component 902A. The connector 82 of the third wiring portion1003A of the resin multilayer substrate 10A is mounted on thecircuit-board-side connector 912A of the circuit board 93B.

In such a configuration, first, the first wiring portion 1001A and theconnecting portion 1000A of the resin multilayer substrate 10A aremounted on the circuit board 91B such that the resin multilayersubstrate 10A is fixed on the circuit board 91B. Next, the connector 81of the second wiring portion 1002A of the resin multilayer substrate 10Ais mounted on the circuit-board-side connector 911 of the circuit board92B, and the connector 82 of the third wiring portion 1003A of the resinmultilayer substrate 10A is mounted on the circuit-board-side connector912A of the circuit board 93B.

By providing such a connection configuration, while one end portion ofthe resin multilayer substrate 10A is connected and fixed to a circuitboard, the other end portions of the resin multilayer substrate 10A areconfigured so as to be connected to other circuit boards, such that aconnection operation is able to be easily performed even if the endportions of the resin multilayer substrate 10A are connected todifferent circuit boards. In addition, when the resin multilayersubstrate 10A is connected to the circuit boards 92B and 93B after beingconnected to the circuit board 91B, the resin multilayer substrate 10Aand the circuit board 91B are prevented from being disconnected fromeach other. Furthermore, as described above, even if stress is generatedwhen the resin multilayer substrate 10A is connected to the circuitboards 92B and 93B, the resin multilayer substrate 10A and the circuitboard 91B are connected to each other by the auxiliary mountingconductors, and thus, the probability that this stress will be appliedto the external connection terminals of the resin multilayer substrate10A connected to the circuit board 91B is effectively reduced. As aresult, the connection reliability between the resin multilayersubstrate 10A and the circuit board 91B is improved. Therefore, theelectronic device 1B in which the connection reliability between thecircuit boards 91B, 92B, and 93B is high is provided.

Note that, in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 7, althoughconnectors are preferably provided for the connection of the resinmultilayer substrate 10A and the circuit board 92B and the connection ofthe resin multilayer substrate 10A and the circuit board 93B, aconnector may be provided for only one of the connection of the resinmultilayer substrate 10A and the circuit board 92B and the connection ofthe resin multilayer substrate 10A and the circuit board 93B. However,as illustrated in FIG. 7, in the case in which connection using aconductor is performed at one position, a connection operation is ableto be even more easily performed as compared to the case in whichconnection using a conductor is performed at a plurality of positions.

Note that, in the above-described configuration, an external connectionterminal to which a conductor is directly connected with, for example,solder and an external connection terminal to which a conductor isconnected by using a connector are provided on the same surface of theresin multilayer substrate 10. However, a surface on which an externalconnection terminal to which a conductor is directly connected with, forexample, solder is provided and a surface on which an externalconnection terminal to which a conductor is connected by using aconnector is provided may be different surfaces of the resin multilayersubstrate 10 (the opposite surfaces of the resin multilayer substrate10). This case is effective in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 7when, for example, a mounting surface of the circuit board 91B andmounting surfaces of the circuit boards 92B and 93B face in oppositedirections.

However, the configuration in which an external connection terminal towhich a conductor is directly connected with, for example, solder and anexternal connection terminal to which a conductor is connected by usinga connector are provided on the same surface is effective when the resinmultilayer substrate 10 is used as a mounting component for a surfacemount technology (SMT) (a surface mount device (SMD)).

A resin multilayer substrate according to a second preferred embodimentof the present invention will now be described with reference to thedrawings. FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of the resin multilayersubstrate according to the second preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. In a resin multilayer substrate 10B according to the secondpreferred embodiment, the arrangement of connectors is different fromthat in the resin multilayer substrate 10 according to the firstpreferred embodiment. The substrate main body 100 of the resinmultilayer substrate 10B is the same as the substrate main body 100 ofthe resin multilayer substrate 10, and description thereof will beomitted.

The resin multilayer substrate 10B includes the substrate main body 100,an insulating protective film 801B, and connectors 81, 83, and 84.

The insulating protective film 801B includes a plurality of holes. Morespecifically, the insulating protective film 801B includes the pluralityof holes provided at positions overlapping the conductors 511, 512, 513,514, 611, 612, 711, and 712. Some of the plurality of holes of theinsulating protective film 801B are provided at positions correspondingto the end portions of the conductor 401 each of which is located closeto one of the conductors 511, 611, and 711.

The connector 81 is disposed on an end portion of the second wiringportion 1002 that is farthest from the connecting portion 1000. Acentral conductor (not illustrated) of the connector 81 is connected tothe conductor 611 through one of the holes provided in the insulatingprotective film 801B. An outer-peripheral conductor (not illustrated) ofthe connector 81 is connected to the conductor 612 and the conductor 401through at least one of the holes provided in the insulating protectivefilm 801.

The connectors 83 and 84 are aligned and disposed on an end portion ofthe first wiring portion 1001 that is farthest from the connectingportion 1000. A central conductor (not illustrated) of the connector 83is connected to the conductor 511 (see FIG. 2) through one of the holesprovided in the insulating protective film 801B. An outer-peripheralconductor (not illustrated) of the connector 83 is connected to theconductor 512 (see FIG. 2) and the conductor 401 through at least one ofthe holes provided in the insulating protective film 801B. A centralconductor (not illustrated) of the connector 84 is connected to theconductor 513 (see FIG. 2) through one of the holes provided in theinsulating protective film 801B. An outer-peripheral conductor (notillustrated) of the connector 83 is connected to the conductors 512 and514 (see FIG. 2) through at least one of the holes provided in theinsulating protective film 801B.

In such a configuration, the first end of the first signal conductor,which includes the signal conductors 201 and 202, corresponds to thefirst external connection terminal and is defined by the connector 83.The second end of the first signal conductor corresponds to the secondexternal connection terminal and is defined by the connector 81.

The first end of the second signal conductor, which includes the signalconductors 301 and 302, corresponds to the first external connectionterminal and is defined by the connector 84. The second end of thesecond signal conductor corresponds to the third external connectionterminal and is defined by a contact pad at which the conductor 711 isexposed.

In the resin multilayer substrate 10B according to the second preferredembodiment, the external connection terminals of the first wiringportion 1001, in which a plurality of signal conductors are arranged inthe lamination direction, may preferably be defined by connectors, andthe external connection terminal of the third wiring portion 1003, inwhich a single signal conductor is disposed, may preferably be definedby a conductor that is exposed at a surface. Note that the externalconnection terminal of the second wiring portion 1002 may be defined bya conductor that is exposed at a surface.

In addition, with the structure of the resin multilayer substrate 10Baccording to the second preferred embodiment, the following electricalcharacteristics are obtained. FIGS. 9A and 9B are cross-sectional sideviews each schematically illustrating a connection structure between theresin multilayer substrate according to the second preferred embodimentand a circuit board.

FIG. 9A illustrates the structure of the third wiring portion 1003 ofthe resin multilayer substrate 10B. FIG. 9B illustrates the structure ofthe first wiring portion 1001 of the resin multilayer substrate 10B.

As illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the circuit board 90 includes theboard 900, mounting land conductors 941, 942, 943, 961, 962, 963, 964,and 965, and circuit conductors 951 and 953.

Each of the mounting land conductors 941, 942, 943, 961, 962, 963, 964,and 965 is disposed on the surface of the board 900. Each of the circuitconductors 951 and 953 is built into the board 900 and extends in adirection parallel or substantially parallel to the surface.

As illustrated in FIG. 9A, the conductors 711, 712, and 713 of the resinmultilayer substrate 10B are respectively and directly connected to themounting land conductors 941, 942, and 943 with, for example, solder.

As illustrated in FIG. 9B, the conductors 511, 512, and 515 of the resinmultilayer substrate 10B are connected to the connector 83. Theconnector 83 is mounted on a circuit-board-side connector 913. Thecircuit-board-side connector 913 is connected to the mounting landconductors 961, 962, and 963. The conductors 513, 512, and 514 of theresin multilayer substrate 10B are connected to the connector 84. Theconnector 84 is mounted on a circuit-board-side connector 914. Thecircuit-board-side connector 914 is connected to the mounting landconductors 964, 963, and 965.

As described above, in the third wiring portion 1003 in which arelatively small number of conductors are provided in the laminationdirection of the resin layers of the substrate main body 100 and inwhich the conductors are disposed with a large gap therebetween, theresin multilayer substrate 10B is directly connected to the circuitboard 90 by the conductors. In contrast, in the first wiring portion1001 in which a relatively large number of conductors are provided inthe lamination direction of the resin layers of the substrate main body100 and in which the conductors are disposed with a small gaptherebetween, the resin multilayer substrate 10B is connected to thecircuit board 90 via the connectors.

With this configuration, a distance D1 between the signal conductor 301of the first wiring portion 1001, the signal conductor 301 being closerto the mounting surface than the signal conductor 201 is, and thecircuit conductor 951 of the circuit board 90 is able to be increased bythe connectors. In contrast, if such connectors are not used, thedistance between the signal conductor 301 and the circuit conductor 951of the circuit board 90 will be relatively small. By using connectors asdescribed above, even if the signal conductor 301 of the resinmultilayer substrate 10B is close to the mounting surface, and thesignal conductor 301 and the circuit conductor 951 of the circuit board90 extend so as to be parallel or substantially parallel to each other,the probability that these conductors will have an undesirableelectromagnetic field coupling relationship is effectively reduced.

The signal conductor 302 of the third wiring portion 1003 is fartheraway from the mounting surface than is the signal conductor 301 of thefirst wiring portion 1001. Thus, a distance D3 between the signalconductor 302 and the circuit conductor 953 is large. As a result, evenif the signal conductor 302 of the resin multilayer substrate 10B andthe circuit conductor 953 of the circuit board 90 extend so as to beparallel or substantially parallel to each other, the probability thatthese conductors will have an undesirable electromagnetic field couplingrelationship is effectively reduced. Note that, in the configurationaccording to the second preferred embodiment, preferably, the firstwiring portion 1001 has a structure in which the conductors are stackedin five layers, and the third wiring portion 1003 has a structure inwhich the conductors including the signal conductor 302 are stacked inthree layers. Therefore, with this configuration, the distance betweenthe signal conductor 302 and the circuit conductor 953 is able to beeasily increased.

As described above, with the configuration according to the secondpreferred embodiment, even if the signal conductors of the resinmultilayer substrate 10B and the circuit conductors of the circuit board90 extend so as to be parallel or substantially parallel to each other,the probability that these conductors will have an undesirableelectromagnetic field coupling relationship is effectively reduced.

Note that, similar to the first preferred embodiment, a plurality ofauxiliary mounting conductors may be provided in the configurationaccording to the second preferred embodiment which is illustrated inFIG. 8. As a result, advantageous effects similar to those of the firstpreferred embodiment are obtained.

A resin multilayer substrate according to a third preferred embodimentof the present invention will now be described with reference to thedrawings. FIG. 10 is an external perspective view of the resinmultilayer substrate according to the third preferred embodiment of thepresent invention. The difference between a resin multilayer substrate10C according to the third preferred embodiment and the resin multilayersubstrate 10B according to the second preferred embodiment is that theresin multilayer substrate 10C includes a buffering portion DP. Theremaining configuration of the resin multilayer substrate 10C is thesame or substantially the same as that of the resin multilayer substrate10B according to the second preferred embodiment, and repeateddescriptions will be omitted.

The resin multilayer substrate 10C includes a substrate main body 100C.The substrate main body 100C includes a first wiring portion 1001C. Thefirst wiring portion 1001C includes the buffering portion DP. Thebuffering portion DP is defined by a portion of the first wiring portion1001C that extends in a serpentine manner.

With such a configuration, the first wiring portion 1001C may easilyextend and retract in a main extending direction, that is, a directionconnecting the positions of the external connection terminals (thepositions at which the connectors 83 and 84 are disposed) and an endportion of the first wiring portion 1001C that is continuous with theconnecting portion 1000C. In addition, when viewed in plan view, each ofthe connectors 83 and 84 is able to be arranged at an angle with respectto the main extending direction. This increases the arrangement optionsfor the connectors 83 and 84, and the resin multilayer substrate 10C isable to be even more easily mounted on a circuit board.

Note that the buffering portion DP may be included in one of the otherwiring portions (corresponding to the second wiring portion 1002 and thethird wiring portion 1003 in FIG. 10) as long as the buffering portionDP is located between an external connection terminal defined by aconnector and an external connection terminal defined by a conductor.However, a portion in which a larger number of conductors are providedin the lamination direction (a portion in which the ratio of the totalthickness of the conductors to the total thickness of the resin layersin the lamination direction is large) has a modulus of elasticity thatis higher than that of a portion in which a smaller number of conductorsare provided in the lamination direction. Accordingly, providing thebuffering portion DP so as to be included in the portion in which alarger number of conductors are provided in the lamination directionfacilitates changes in the overall shape. Therefore, the bufferingportion DP provides greater advantageous effects when included in thefirst wiring portion 1001C.

Note that, similar to the first preferred embodiment, a plurality ofauxiliary mounting conductors may be provided in the configurationaccording to the third preferred embodiment which is illustrated in FIG.10. As a result, advantageous effects similar to those of the firstpreferred embodiment are obtained. In this case, the auxiliary mountingconductors may at least be disposed on the side opposite to the side onwhich the connectors 84 and 93 are disposed with the buffering portionDP interposed between the auxiliary mounting conductors and theconnectors 84 and 93 and so as to be located between the bufferingportion DP and the conductor 711, which defines an external connectionterminal.

In each of the above-described preferred embodiments, althoughconfigurations have been described in which two signal conductorspreferably are provided in the lamination direction in the first wiringportion, the above-described configurations may be applied to aconfiguration in which the two signal conductors are provided in thewidth direction of the first wiring portion, which is a directionperpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the laminationdirection.

In addition, in each of the above-described preferred embodiments,although a configuration has been described in which two signalconductors are included in the first wiring portion of the resinmultilayer substrate, three or more signal conductors may be included inthe first wiring portion. For example, a configuration in which a fourthwiring portion and a fifth wiring portion are provided in addition tothe first wiring portion, the second wiring portion, and the thirdwiring portion, and in which these wiring portions are connected to oneanother by a connecting portion may be provided, and the first wiringportion may include signal conductors that are connected to the secondconnecting portion, the third connecting portion, the fourth connectingportion, and the fifth connecting portion.

Furthermore, the number of signal conductors may be one, and a circuitsuch as that illustrated in FIG. 11 may be provided. FIG. 11 is a blockdiagram of an electronic circuit that includes a resin multilayersubstrate according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, an electronic device 1C includes externalconnection terminals P01, P02, and P03. A filter FL2 is connectedbetween the external connection terminal P01 and the external connectionterminal P02. A filter FL3 is connected between the external connectionterminal P01 and the external connection terminal P03. The filters FL2and FL3 may preferably be defined by an LC filter circuit (a filtercircuit including an inductor and a capacitor), a surface acoustic wave(SAW) filter, and other suitable filters, for example. The filter FL2and the filter FL3 have different bandpass characteristics.

In such a circuit configuration, a region in which the externalconnection terminal P01 is disposed defines a first wiring portion1001X. A region in which the external connection terminal P02 and thefilter FL2 are disposed defines a second wiring portion 1002X. A regionin which the external connection terminal P03 and the filter FL3 aredisposed defines a third wiring portion 1003X. A region in which thefirst wiring portion 1001X, the second wiring portion 1002X, and thethird wiring portion 1003X are connected to one another defines aconnecting portion 1000X. In this manner, by using the configurations ofthe resin multilayer substrates according to the above-describedpreferred embodiments, branching circuits of a duplexer, a diplexer, andother suitable devices, for example, are able to be provided.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will beapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scopeand spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention,therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A resin multilayer substrate comprising: asubstrate main body including a first wiring portion, a second wiringportion, and a third wiring portion that are connected to one another bya connecting portion, and a plurality of resin layers laminatedtogether; a signal conductor provided in the substrate main body so asto extend over the first wiring portion, the second wiring portion, andthe third wiring portion; a first external connection terminal providedin the first wiring portion and connected to the signal conductor; asecond external connection terminal provided in the second wiringportion and connected to the signal conductor; and a third externalconnection terminal provided in the third wiring portion and connectedto the signal conductor; wherein at least one of the first externalconnection terminal, the second external connection terminal, and thethird external connection terminal is defined by a connector that ismounted on a conductor on a surface of the substrate main body, and atleast another one of the first external connection terminal, the secondexternal connection terminal, and the third external connection terminalis defined by a conductor on the surface of the substrate main body; andan auxiliary mounting conductor is disposed between the externalconnection terminal defined by the connector mounted on the conductor onthe surface of the substrate main body and the external connectionterminal defined by the conductor on the surface of the substrate mainbody.
 2. The resin multilayer substrate according to claim 1, wherein atleast another one of the first wiring portion, the second wiringportion, and the third wiring portion includes a filter.
 3. The resinmultilayer substrate according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliarymounting conductor is a ground conductor.
 4. The resin multilayersubstrate according to claim 1, wherein, in the first wiring portion,the signal conductor is disposed in a row in a direction in which theplurality of resin layers are laminated together.
 5. The resinmultilayer substrate according to claim 4, wherein the first externalconnection terminal is defined by a connector that is mounted on aconductor on the surface of the substrate main body; and at least one ofthe second external connection terminal and the third externalconnection terminal is defined by a conductor on the surface of thesubstrate main body.
 6. The resin multilayer substrate according toclaim 1, wherein the first wiring portion includes a buffering portionbetween a position of the first external connection terminal and an endportion of the first wiring portion that is continuous with theconnecting portion and that has low elasticity in a direction connectingthe position of the first external connection terminal and the endportion of the first wiring portion that is continuous with theconnecting portion.
 7. The resin multilayer substrate according to claim1, wherein the resin layers are each made of a thermoplastic resin. 8.The resin multilayer substrate according to claim 1, wherein thesubstrate main body includes a bent portion at a position different frompositions of the first external connection terminal, the second externalconnection terminal, and the third external connection terminal.
 9. Anelectronic device comprising: the resin multilayer substrate accordingto claim 1; and a circuit board to which the first external connectionterminal, the second external connection terminal, and the thirdexternal connection terminal are connected.
 10. The electronic deviceaccording to claim 9, wherein the circuit board includes a first circuitboard to which the first external connection terminal is connected and asecond circuit board to which the second external connection terminal orthe third external connection terminal is connected.
 11. An electronicdevice comprising: the resin multilayer substrate according to claim 1;and a circuit board to which the first external connection terminal, thesecond external connection terminal, and the third external connectionterminal are connected; wherein the circuit board includes a circuitconductor that faces the signal conductor.
 12. A joint structure of aresin multilayer substrate and a circuit board comprising: the resinmultilayer substrate and the circuit board; wherein the resin multilayersubstrate includes: a substrate main body including a first wiringportion, a second wiring portion, and a third wiring portion that areconnected to one another by a connecting portion, and a plurality ofresin layers laminated together; a signal conductor provided in thesubstrate main body so as to extend over the first wiring portion, thesecond wiring portion, and the third wiring portion; a first externalconnection terminal provided in the first wiring portion and connectedto the signal conductor; a second external connection terminal providedin the second wiring portion and connected to the signal conductor; anda third external connection terminal provided in the third wiringportion and connected to the signal conductor; at least one of the firstexternal connection terminal, the second external connection terminal,and the third external connection terminal is defined by a connectorthat is mounted on a conductor on a surface of the substrate main body,and at least another one of the first external connection terminal, thesecond external connection terminal, and the third external connectionterminal is defined by a conductor on the surface of the substrate mainbody; an auxiliary mounting conductor is disposed between the at leastone of the first external connection terminal, the second externalconnection terminal, and the third external connection terminal definedby the connector mounted on the conductor on the surface of thesubstrate main body and the at least one of the first externalconnection terminal, the second external connection terminal, and thethird external connection terminal defined by the conductor on thesurface of the substrate main body; the circuit board is connected tothe first external connection terminal, the second external connectionterminal, and the third external connection terminal; an externalconnection terminal of the at least one of first external connectionterminal, the second external connection terminal, and the thirdexternal connection terminal includes the connector that is mounted onthe conductor on the surface of the substrate main body, and theexternal connection terminal is connected to the circuit board throughthe connector; and an external connection terminal of the first externalconnection terminal, the second external connection terminal, and thethird external connection terminal without the connector and theauxiliary mounting conductor is directly connected to a mounting landconductor arranged on a surface of the circuit board.
 13. The jointstructure of the resin multilayer substrate and the circuit boardaccording to claim 12, wherein at least another one of the first wiringportion, the second wiring portion, and the third wiring portionincludes a filter.
 14. The joint structure of the resin multilayersubstrate and the circuit board according to claim 13, wherein theauxiliary mounting conductor is a ground conductor.
 15. The jointstructure of the resin multilayer substrate and the circuit boardaccording to claim 12, wherein, in the first wiring portion, the signalconductor is disposed in a row in a direction in which the plurality ofresin layers are laminated together.
 16. The joint structure of theresin multilayer substrate and the circuit board according to claim 15,wherein the first external connection terminal is defined by a connectorthat is mounted on a conductor on the surface of the substrate mainbody; and at least one of the second external connection terminal andthe third external connection terminal is defined by a conductor on thesurface of the substrate main body.
 17. The joint structure of the resinmultilayer substrate and the circuit board according to claim 12,wherein the first wiring portion includes a buffering portion between aposition of the first external connection terminal and an end portion ofthe first wiring portion that is continuous with the connecting portionand that has low elasticity in a direction connecting the position ofthe first external connection terminal and the end portion of the firstwiring portion that is continuous with the connecting portion.
 18. Thejoint structure of the resin multilayer substrate and the circuit boardaccording to claim 12, wherein the resin layers are each made of athermoplastic resin.
 19. The joint structure of the resin multilayersubstrate and the circuit board according to claim 12, wherein thesubstrate main body includes a bent portion at a position different frompositions of the first external connection terminal, the second externalconnection terminal, and the third external connection terminal.